Sports
FG Charges Sports Federations To Be Result Oriented
Joel Ajayi
The Federal Government has called on Sports Federations in the country to be result oriented and ensure their activities are geared towards unearthing talents at the grassroots while helping current elite competitors strive to raise the nation’s flag high through podium fniishes in all competitions.
The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh made the call today in his office at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja when he engaged the Presidents and Secretaries of National Sports Federations in an interactive session.
Owan Enoh stated that the meeting was aimed at providing him with the opportunity to holistically assess the state of affairs of all Federations with a view to systematically addressing them for the development of the sector.
He added that the Ministry under his watch, will continue to play its statutory, supervisory and advisory roles on all sports Federations in the country in order to ensure proper governance as well as oversight on the plans each Federation executes.
The Minister charged them to show more commitment, passion and be focused in their activities so as to ensure success in their fields of sporting endeavours in line with the policy thrust of the present administration .
While urging them to place the interest of the country above their personal interests, Senator Owan Enoh assured that government will focus on turning the tide to place less emphasis on positions and offices but instead on athletes’ welfare, infrastructure upgrade and development of the sector, among others.
The Minister who described the Federations as critical stakehokders in the industry, called on them to join hands with the federal government to ensure the development of the sector.
Earlier in his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Sports Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar stated that the meeting was conveyed to provide an opportunity to interact and brainstorm on issues that bother on efficiency and effectiveness of the Federations with a view to finding solutions administratively for them.
He assured that the Ministry will continue to create an enabling environment for the implementation of the initiatives, policies, programmes and projects of government for the empowerment of the teeming Nigerian youth through sports, thereby alleviating poverty, improving security and also contributing to the economic growth and development of the nation.
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
Joel Ajayi
The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.
Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.
In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.
The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.
In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.
At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.
According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.
He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.
“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.
Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.
He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.
The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.
He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.
“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.
Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.
The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.
According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.
The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.
It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.
The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.
He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.
“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.
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